The Philadelphia 76ers are set to host the Indiana Pacers and are looking to win their fifth of six games as they start their climb up the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid and Paul George have returned to the floor and no player is benefitting from this more than Tyrese Maxey.
The fifth-year guard has struggled to hold down the fort in the absence of the two stars with every offensive look seeming more difficult. The previous victory over the Chicago Bulls marked the first game this season in which Maxey, Embiid and George were all able to start and finish a game, with the three sharing the floor for a total of 6:09 minutes of game action before this. Maxey settled right into the role that was designed for him, logging his first career triple-double in the victory.
Heading into tonight’s matchup, the Sixers have a great chance to build off their success against a struggling Pacers team. Philadelphia is set to be without Caleb Martin and Adem Bona, which makes this one of their healthiest games of the season. Indiana will continue to be without Isaiah Jackson, James Wiseman, Ben Sheppard and Aaron Nesmtih, but have no new injuries to be made aware of.
The Sixers enter this game as 6.5-point favorites and hold -250 odds on the moneyline. The Pacers hold +205 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook and the game total is set at 229.
Best Tyrese Maxey Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Maxey’s props are listed at over/under 22.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.5 made three-pointers and 31.5 combined points, rebounds & assists.
Tyrese Maxey Over 2.5 Made Three-Pointers (-166)
So far this season Tyrese Maxey is averaging 24.3 points, 5.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. His biggest concern has been efficiency as the Kentucky product is shooting just 40.6% from the field and 29.3% from beyond the three-point arc which are each career-worst marks.
The struggles beyond the three-point arc are something that should be expected to change in the coming weeks. Maxey feeds off the gravity of Embiid and the Sixers’ offense continues to revolve around the former MVP. Maxey’s efficiency drops when he has to create the three-point looks for himself, which he has been forced into much more this year. Last season the all-star guard shot 44.4% on catch-and-shoot three-pointers but just 32.8% on perimeter shots off the dribble.
Throughout his career, he has shot 38.6% on three-point attempts while attempting 5.3 per game. He finished as the third-best three-point shooter in the NBA during the 2021-22 season by connecting on 42.7% of his long-range shots throughout the season and then increased this percentage to 43.4% the following year. While this efficiency has dipped as he has been asked to generate more of these looks, Maxey will begin settling into his expected role with Embiid and George back on the floor.
Looking at tonight’s matchup, the Pacers rank 26th in opponent points per game and 22nd in opponent three-point percentage. Maxey has attempted at least six three-point attempts in every game this season. Even amid his shooting struggles he has knocked down over 2.5 three-pointers in eight of his 16 games, including the previous game alongside Embiid and George.
Expect the All-Star guard to return to form and make an impact from long-range tonight. For the sake of this article, we are sticking to over 2.5 made three-pointers, but it also could be worth taking a flyer on 4+ made three-pointers at +145 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
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